Loving Sacrifice
by winter051094
Summary: Kaoru must make a choice to live the life she knew or bravely go to war where she could face dangers that she never imagined, especially with the red-headed captain barking orders left and right. Can Kaoru, now dubbed Ru, survive? R&R! Thanks!
1. Who I Am

Hey everybody here I am, one year later. I have, with encouragement from "lossehelin" re-edited this chapter. This chapter is dedicated to lossehelin. Thanks for the suggestion! Hope everyone enjoys the story! :D

*Rurouni Kenshin and the movie that I am basing this story off of does NOT in any way shape or form belong to me*

~Loving Sacrifice~

– Chapter 1 - Who I Am –

"Kaoru, wake up! It's time for you to be leaving!"

Kaoru sat up straight in bed and looked around. She blinked and tiredly rubbed her eyes. Casting a glance towards her window she noticed that the sunbeams shone through. Smiling as she stretched, she slowly got up to get dressed for her big day. _The MatchMaker… oh how fun…_ Kaoru thought sarcastically. The appointment had been scheduled almost a year ago, yet the women had constantly been changing the day because of "personal issues", something having to do with her younger brother and a war that she believed to be brewing.

Rolling her eyes at the memory of meeting the woman once, Kaoru was not keen on seeing her again. _Ms. Tomoe was her name, wasn't it?_ Kaoru thought to herself… _Well, I did enjoy her younger sister to entertain me while I waited. Maybe I'll see her again…_ Hope filled Kaoru as she looked around her closet for something suitable to wear.

Father, what time is it?" Kaoru called out, her voice slightly cracked from sleep.

"It's time for you to get up and outta bed! Come on, you're going to be late!" he called out but then started to cough furiously.

After living in the heart of Japan for all of her life, Kaoru and her family moved to the country that boarded Japan, called _Pacem,_ because they believed it would benefit her father's health more than staying in the city.

The actual switch of places was an easier than Kaoru would have imagined. Kaoru figured that leaving had its perks as well as its downs. For starters, she missed her friends dearly back in Japan, but she also had some issues concerning her piers that was best left alone, such as being bullied because she never truly fit in with the girls.

_Pacem_ was located on the outskirts of Japan, and was actually the city that maintained the peace throughout all of Japan. However, aside the fact that it was still in Japan, Kaoru found that the people did not have the same culture as Kaoru did, or at least used to. Now that she had adapted to the place, she found that the customs there were much more lenient that in Japan. No one questioned her of swordplay, but no one encouraged it either. Kaoru also found that she favored horseback riding and became quite good at it in a hurry. For her eighteenth birthday her father officially gave her the family's horse, Blaze. Even though the family had already considered him hers, after signing the papers, there was no doubt that the horse belonged to Kaoru.

"Are you alright?" Kaoru called out as she jumped out of bed and ran to her door, not opening it because of her clothing or lack of at the moment, to check on her father.

"Y-yes, I'm fine." He replied in a strained voice.

Kaoru's father had been sick for as long as Kaoru could remember, but his sickness has been steadily growing worse over the past few years. Kaoru's father rarely spoke of his reasons of the illness, but Kaoru believed it had something to do with when he fought in the war for Japan long before she was born.

"Kaoru, sweetie, it's time for you to go!" a womanly voice called out, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Alright mother, I'm coming." Kaoru called out as moved away from the door, towards her closet, where she finally found the beautiful dress she was looking for and quickly changed into it.

Once Kaoru was finished changing, she silently stepped out of her room, only to come face to face with her mother and father, arm in arm, quietly waiting for Kaoru.

"Oh honey, you look beautiful!" her mother softly said and her father nodded silently in agreement, appreciating her beauty and elegance in the dress.

The dress was made of silk with an emerald-green color and a dark set of beads that framed the neckline. The neckline itself dipped beautifully down, showing just the right amount of cleavage to look both stunning yet modest. The dress flowed and stopped just above her kneecaps, having the full effect of a wave-like pattern within the cloth itself. All in all, any boy would have been a fool not to fall head over heels for her the moment they laid eyes on her.

"As much as I would like to stare at you, you really must be going or you shall be late." Kaoru's mother commented kindly.

"Yes ma'am." Kaoru said as she made a small bow and gracefully started to walk to where the royal carriage waited for her. Having her father serve in the previous war and come back a war hero was a great honor and the government awarded him for his services. After receiving a more than generous sum of money, her family used some of it and moved to _Pacem_ to start a new life together.

Kaoru's favorite horse, Blaze, was going to be her escort to her destination, along with the carriage driver.

"My lady," the man said," you look positively lovely today and I wish you only the best of luck."

"Thank you, Timothy." Kaoru said with a smile that could take almost any man's breath away."

"Please my lady, call me Tim." He said in a playful banter as they always did.

"Only if you call me Kaoru." She said with a grin, waiting for Tim to finish the ending they unspoken-ly agreed on.

"It shall be done." Tim said and Kaoru giggled, her spirits lifted even more.

She and Tim had been friends since Kaoru was born. Tim was a dear friend of the family, despite him being one of the servants. When Kaoru was born, Tim took care of her with some help from another one of Kaoru's wonderful servants and cook, Tae. When Tim first began working for the Kamiya family, he had immediately paired up with Tae. They had met when Tim was trying to be helpful in the kitchen and ended up making a mess of things, leaving Tae to come and clean it up.

Kaoru chuckled under her breath but walked into the carriage. As the carriage took off, Kaoru wondered how she would do with the "interview". She nervously twilled her thumbs and shut her eyes. Knowing that it would be difficult to find a husband for her to marry, she understood that she just was not like other girls. She did not wear make-up -_well she was forced to wear it for particular occasions- _she hated to shop, and most of all, she did like to train with her father… or at least _used_ to train with her father, when he was in better health. Ever since last year, his health was steadily declining, but that would not stop him from doing what he darn well pleased; even when the doctor had urged him just to lie in bed and hope that his illness would not get worse.

The carriage suddenly jerked and she knew that they had arrived. Tim had come around and opened the door for Kaoru. As Kaoru passed him, she gave a quiet thank you and walked up the steps to the MatchMaker's abode.

Before Kaoru could step inside, Tim called out. Thankful for postponing her going in, even for a few tiny seconds, she gracefully turned around. Tim held out his hand. Kaoru reached for it and took what was lying in Tim's palm. It was a beautiful comb that was meant to be put in her hair. On top of it held a flower that could only be found once a year. It was called a Lunar Blossom. The flower was said to have magical capabilities such as good luck as well as allowing a person to see another person's heart. Normally, these were only gifts the truly rich people would bestow upon someone they deeply cared about. Kaoru smiled and put the comb in place atop her head and felt more at peace. Taking a nice, long, deep breath she knocked on the door that was going to decide her fate.

"Come in." a voice called out.

Kaoru took another deep breath and walked inside.

"Ah, so you must be Kamiya Kaoru. My how you've grown…"

"Yes ma'am." Kaoru said, not sure what else to say.

"If you don't remember me, I am Yukishiro, Tomoe." She said gently, "Now, let's begin."

~*Loving Sacrifice*~

An hour and a half later, Kaoru immerged from the house, looking distraught and royally pissed.

"M-my lady?" Tim squeaked out.

"Home, NOW!" Kaoru commanded and stormed into the carriage.

Tim shook his head but made a wise choice of obeying without questions. The trip home was silent aside from the sound of crying coming from within the carriage.

Once they arrived at the Kamiya household, Kaoru let herself out and hit the ground running.

Kaoru barely heard Tim call for her father.

"Mr. Koshijiro!"

~*Loving Sacrifice*~

"Kaoru… K-Kaoru!" Her father called out, coughing harshly.

"I'm in here Father." Kaoru called out from the barn where Blaze was kept.

As Kaoru's father stepped in the barn, his heart almost broke in two. Blaze was lying down and Kaoru had thrown herself on top of him, crying her eyes out. Her normally beautiful deep blue eyes now held sadness and … fear?

"Kaoru, please tell me what happened."

"I… I will never be a good wife. I can't cook, I can't eat in a lady-like fashion, and… and … I can't even serve tea without messing up!"

"Oh, Kaoru, it's okay. We love you for who _you_ are."

"B-but…"

"Don't worry about it, Kaoru."

"But… a-aren't you ashamed of me, Father?"

"… Never. I told you, your mother and I love you for who you are."

"… T-thank you… Daddy." Kaoru said.

"I love you." He whispered gently on top of her head.

"I love you too."

Hope you guys enjoyed this so far! Please tell me whatcha think by your wonderful reviews! Let me reassure my readers that this story will be along the same story line as the movie, but MANY things will also be different as the story progresses. (=^^=) hope to hear from everyone! TTFN! Bu-bye!

(Re-edited: 12/04/11)


	2. Into the War

Hi guys! Here's my second chappy. I would like to dedicate this chappy to miniwoo this author guessed which movie this story was based off of! Great job and I hope everyone enjoys this chappy.

THIS CHAPPY HAS BEEN SLIGHTLY EDITED! :D READ AUTHOR'S NOTE AT BOTTOM. THANKS!

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Rurouni Kenshin, nor do I own the movie I am basing this story off of. Thank you very much!

~Loving Sacrifice~

- Chapter 2 – Into the War –

* * *

**_One year later…_**

"Kaoru, come on! Wake up!" her father called out.

"Ugh… I HATE Monday mornings…" Kaoru mumbled to herself. Little did she know, but her day was about to get a whole lot worse.

Ten minutes later, Kaoru was sitting at her breakfast table with her mother and father. They all were eating and a comfortable silence surrounded them.

Kaoru finally decided to break the silence.

"Um, I think it's time for me to be leaving for school."

Her parents nodded and she walked up to both of them, each landing a kiss atop her head.

"Love you, baby." Her mother said.

"Be good today. I love you." Her father said.

"I love you both and don't worry; I'll try my best today! Bye." Kaoru said and walked out of the house to where Tim was waiting to bring her to school.

* * *

_**After school…**_

"Tim… hello… TIM!" Kaoru screamed and Tim jumped.

"Wh-what… oh I'm sorry ma'am. I… just spaced out. I apologize."

"No, no it's fine. Are you ready to go home?" Kaoru asked.

"Yeah…"

Kaoru jumped in the carriage and Tim started to drive, with Kaoru's favorite horse and friend, Blaze pulling her carriage.

Once they arrived at the house, Kaoru thanked Tim and looked around for her bag. Dread fell upon her.

"Dang it! Um Tim, could you please untie Blaze from the carriage?"

"Yes but why?"

"I just realized that I forgot my bag at school and it would be faster if I rode on Blaze than you driving back."

"Oh… alright…"

As Tim untied Blaze, some sunrays made his black coat shine in a beautiful way. Once Blaze was set free of the harness, Kaoru whistled and called out, "Blaze, come!"

At once the horse came trotting up, but Kaoru held up her hand and Blaze suddenly took to galloping at a very fast paste. The arm that was raised above her head, she lowered it to shoulder height. As Blaze ran past Kaoru, she took her arm, and using the velocity of Blaze's running speed, hoisted herself up upon Blaze, ridding bare back.

"Let's head to the school." Kaoru said as she was leaning down towards Blaze's ear.

Blaze let out a loud whinny and started at an even faster paste towards their destination.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Kaoru was ridding back home. Her eyes filled with happiness that she successfully retrieved her bag and that she would get to see her loving family… little did she know that bad news was heading her way, and fast…

As Kaoru entered the stable where Blaze was kept, Kaoru heard a trumpet sound outside her house. Kaoru looked around and saw her father limping outside with her mother by his side in case her help was needed.

As Kaoru's father made his way outside to where all of the commotion was now starting to begin, Kaoru ran around to where the ladder was kept beside the barn and climbed up to the roof so she could see what was going on.

Once Kaoru was secure with her footing, she looked around and gasped at what she saw. Almost everyone she knew was standing in the crowd and in the middle of the ruckus was a man sitting astride a brown, chestnut horse and escorted by two men on his flanks.

The man had bleach, blonde hair and a strict looking face, worn down with age and experience. Sitting upon the steed, the man cleared his throat and began to speak.

"Citizens, I am Yukishiro Enishi. It has come down to this. A man that we all know named Shishio Makoto had invaded Japan with the help of the Juppongatana. We need one man from every family to fight in this war…" Enishi said and begun to sound off names.

Easy to say, Kaoru was stunned.

After a few moments of waiting and more names were fired off, one name brought her back down to reality.

"The Kamiya family…" at this proclamation, Kaoru all but jumped off of the roof and ran towards her father to beg for his life. She knew that if he left, he would never return…

Kaoru finally made it and ran in front of her father… just as Enishi was handing him the paper that told him when and where to go.

"Please sir, I beg of you. Don't make my father go to war! He has already fought for this country!" Kaoru pleaded… but it fell on deaf ears.

"Girl, you should learn to watch your tongue. This is formal business we are holding. It is no way concerned with a beautiful, you woman. Now run along and help your mother in the kitchen or something and next time, mind your manners. Do not bring yourself in other's affairs when it clearly has nothing to do with you." Enishi said in a clearly dismissing tone.

Kaoru looked down, suddenly ashamed of what she did, but worse was yet to come. When she turned around, her father was looking at her and it made her heart fall to her stomach. His eyes held a great sadness to them that Kaoru could not express… and also a hint of anger.

"Kaoru… you have dishonored me…" her father said quietly.

"N-no… father… please…" Kaoru stuttered.

"You are to report tomorrow at the camp by sunrise." Enishi commanded and started calling off names of more unfortunate families.

"Yes sir…" her father said and then walked back to the house, leaving Kaoru standing by herself. Her mother was observing and came to comfort her daughter, who looked like she was going to fall to pieces any moment…

* * *

_**~Dinner~**_

Kaoru sat calmly at the dinner table. Her face displayed no emotion as she poured tea for her father and mother, but underneath, her emotions were on overdrive. As the family quietly ate dinner, Kaoru could hold back no longer…

"You shouldn't have to go!"

"Kaoru…" her mother started, but Kaoru paid no heed.

"There are plenty of other men to help fight in _this_ war!" she continued urgently.

"It is an honor to fight and die for my country." her father said calmly.

"So, you'll die for honor…" Kaoru said in a questioning tone, but it came out more as a statement.

"I will die doing what's right!" her father said as his patience snapped.

"But you have already served your time father! It should be time for others to claim their own glory. You have already made your mark in history. Do not live this far, just to die in the very end for a war that is not truly yours to fight…" Kaoru said but her father was going to hear none of that.

"I know my place… it is her for my country. I fight to protect you and your mother. I would want nothing less than for me to die in battle. It is time that you learned your place now Kaoru…" he said and Kaoru could take no more. She ran outside crying and ran to the barn to be with someone who would always lean a kind shoulder for her… Blaze.

How long Kaoru sat crying her eyes out, she didn't know. But one thing that she did know was that there was no way that she was going to let her father go…

"Blaze… please… I don't know what to do… please… maybe if I could find someone to go in his steed… but who would be willing to go-…" and then the thought hit her.

"Blaze… I know… me!" Kaoru said and smiled, but it was a sad smile for she knew the consequences if she were ever caught. Death…

"Think I can pull it off, boy?" Kaoru asked and Blaze gave a soft neigh in reply.

"Very well then… Blaze… we're going to take my father's place..." she said with a determined look in her eyes. "We're goin' to war!"

* * *

~Author's Note~

Thanks for taking the time to read! :) Pweaze review! And hey, thanks to my best friend I'm up and runnin again. So be on the lookout for chappy 3 (=^.^=) so with that being said, please go vote on my poll, and REVIEW! And I shall reward you guys nicely with another chapter ASAP! :D


	3. A Danger Within

For anyone who is still sticking around to reading this fic, thanks so much! :) Hope you enjoy chapter 3! However, I must say that this particular chappy is dedicated to my best friend, sami.60 ! Love ya girlie! Hope you love this chapter as much as I do! (btw, for anyone curious, Kenshin shall step into the story in a lil bit, so hang tight. Gotta set up the plot before mr. small, dark, and handsome comes to steal the show) — I will warn you guys that a lemon will be put into this story a bit down the road, so just a heads up. ENJOY!

I DO SOLEMNLY SWEAR THAT I DO NOT IN ANY WAY OWN RUROUNI KENSHIN, NOR THE MOVIE "MULAN" AS TO WHICH I AM SOMEWHAT BASING THIS STORY OFF OF. (I do however own Blaze and everyone else that is not associated with the anime or movie)

* * *

Within two hours later, Kaoru had retrieved her father's sacred _sakabato_ and after placing it in its pure-silver sheath, quietly snuck into Tim's living quarters and left the hair clip he had given her, by his bed side. Quietly slipping back outside, she mounted Blaze and quickly set off to the camp before she could be discovered.

Riding hard for about an hour, Kaoru started to tire slightly. She looked around the path that she was on but found nothing to help her.

"Well this wasn't very smart, was it boy?" she asked patting the horse's neck as she rode on. "I should have packed us some food and water…" she mused. _I thought it would be semi-close by so I didn't bother bringing anything except clothes, my weapon, and the scroll needed to show who I am…_ she thought to herself.

Suddenly it thundered, but Blaze simply stared into the sky, not startling one bit. "G-Good boy Blaze." Kaoru praised at the horse's courage. The rain begun to fall, drenching Kaoru to the bone. Shivering she pushed on, making Blaze run even faster. _We need shelter._ Kaoru thought to herself as they crossed over the hillside.

Looking at her surroundings, all Kaoru could see was darkness. But then… a wolf's howl sounded. Blaze began to shift uncertainly in mid-gallop.

"Easy boy… they can't hurt us. We're runnin' too fast for them." But it was the wrong thing to say because a golden pair of eyes looked at her out of the trees and began to bolt after them. Whinnying, Blaze began to speed up at a break-neck pace.

"Hey! Slow down, we're going to fall if you run this fast boy." Kaoru warned, but Blaze wouldn't listen. Trying to outrun the wolves, the two were forced to a dead sprint for a few minutes before it was obvious that Blaze was beginning to tire.

Pulling on Blaze's reins she steadied him to a halt and swiftly dismounted his back. Going for the sword at her hip she held it in a ready position, eager to strike the wolves who were stalking them. The first appeared a little less than twenty seconds later. Launching itself upon Kaoru, she swiftly stepped right and swung left, cutting the wolf's side. Hearing it yelp in pain Kaoru knew she didn't need to turn around for the wolf was already fleeing. Two more appeared and came at her together. Feinting left, Kaoru made the two run and nearly collide with each other before barely missing each other. With an audible growl, a third came forth to aid the other two.

Stowing her sword back into its sheath, she got into a ready position. "Come at me if you dare wolves." She hissed through her teeth. The first wolf closest to her right charged her. Swinging her sword from the sheath into the wolf, she cut straight through the heart, an instant kill. However her victory was short-lived because the second had taken the opportunity to sneak to her left. Just as it was about to launch itself at her throat, a massive creature stomped near it, frightening it into yelping.

"Blaze!" Kaoru said with a smile in her voice. A snarl brought her back to reality. Pulling the sword from the wolf's body, she turned towards the third wolf, the second having fled a moment later out of fright from Blaze. Now having two opponents the wolf lowered both ear and tail in submission and made a hasty retreat to catch up to its pack mates.

Letting out a sigh of relief Kaoru quickly bent down to wipe her sword clean. After doing so and sheathing her sword, she clicked her tongue at the roof of her mouth to call for Blaze. Without hesitating the horse, which trotted off some to check for any more signs of danger, came back. With a graceful jump, Kaoru hoisted herself upon his back and they began their journey to the camp.

* * *

_**The next morning**_

Kaoru looked around with sleep-deprived eyes. They had continued to travel all night, having lost so much time trying to avoid being eaten by wolves, that they were complexly lost.

"Blaze, what are we going to do?" Kaoru whinnied. A soft neigh was all she got as a reply.

Slowly walking through the underbrush, she stopped to look around. Seeing nothing to help her she dismounted and went over to the tallest tree she could see in her area. Wasting no time, she quickly began to climb. After a good thirty to forty feet she looked out and saw the road about a mile due north from where they were currently located. Gracefully sliding downwards, she failed to notice the few males that had gathered down below.

Once she landed on the ground, hands all around her grabbed her arms, legs, and sword and quickly tied her up. Blade was nowhere to be seen.

With a glare she hissed at the men. "What do you want?"

The one closest to her chuckled. "Well… since you are here, I want some company… preferably in bed…" he sneered. Kaoru's lip curled in disgust.

"Come on pretty, all I want is some fun." The second one agreed and greedily reached for her shirt to unbutton.

Kicking out the best she could, Kaoru managed to knock the man's hands away with her shoulder.

"Ooh, we have a feisty one…" the third sneered.

"How many of you leaches are here?" Kaoru hissed, back up against the tree she had climbed moments before, trying to keep out of the men's reach.

"Only us four… the fourth is somewhere trying to find that horse of yours. Spooked the moment we showed up and galloped away. Stan went to go get him on his own horse. I'm surprised he isn't back yet…" he said with a shrug. "Oh well, more fun for us I guess."

Just then, a loud neigh and soft scream could be heard.

"What was that John?" the first asked the third, who was clearly the leader of the little group.

"Aw, probably just Stan havin' a bit of fun, that's all." He quickly reassured his group. However Kaoru knew better.

"Well if I were you, I would send one of your men out to go check. I heard this forest is filled with many different dangerous animals. Wolves, bears, maybe even lions…" Kaoru taunted.

The one named John looked uncertain, so Kaoru continued. "Besides, if you send your other men out, then there's more of me for only you." She said in a seductive voice. Seeing the knowing look in the man's eyes, Kaoru knew she had this fight won.

"Anthony, Phil, go and see if Stan is alright. I'll guard the slut." He said. Kaoru pulled a face at the derogatory term used for her indication, but wisely held her silence.

The two men looked reluctant to leave, but with another stern look from their leader, the two quickly hurried away.

"Now…" he said, turning back to a tied-up Kaoru," Where were we…" he asked.

Kaoru glared at him and retreated as far back into the tree as she could to get away from the man.

"Come on now precious. Don't be scared, I'll go easy on ya." He said as he got even closer. He reached over and started to unbutton her shirt. Kaoru tried to flail but being tied up prevented her from doing much damage other than helping the man open her shirt even more.

With a snarl Kaoru launched herself forward and her teeth connected with flesh. Needless to say, she bit down… hard. With a howl of pain, the man swung his other hand and punched her in the head, trying to make her let go. Kaoru was having none of it and bit down even harder, drawing blood.

After a particularly forceful punch, Kaoru bit as hard as she could then let go. With many uttered curses, the man stood up at full height, towering over Kaoru.

"You little bitch! You're going to pay for that dearly!" he roared and pinned her down using his legs to hold her lower region and his arms to pin her arms above her head, making her lie flat down.

Growling at the back of her throat, the man chose to ignore the warning that was clearly showing in her eyes. Sucking in a deep breath of air she screeched, "BLAZE!"

As if to answer the call, a huge black blur raced by, easily knocking the man, who was pinning Kaoru down, unconscious.

"Well… I tried to warn him…" Kaoru said with a shrug as if nothing had happened. Blaze saw otherwise and went to kneel in front of Kaoru's side so she could easily mount. But instead of getting on, Kaoru simply leaned against his side and began to at first laugh hysterically, then turned into sobs of fear and anguish at the thought of what was about to happen. She had put herself on the lines in the hope that Blaze was close by when she told the leader to send his two men away. She knew she could hardly stand against one, let alone three. She was betting on the fact that Blaze would have known to take care of the two other men and come rescue her. Biting the man's hand was only to stall for time. It had worked, but at a very costly price.

"Thanks for protecting me boy." She whispered tiredly. The horse gently nudged her onto his back and begun to trot along towards the direction where the path was located as Kaoru passed out into oblivion.

* * *

Upon waking up, Kaoru saw that they were both running very low on strength. _We must find food and water soon or we will both collapse. I think Blaze is trying to be as strong as he can, but his body can only take so much. And with as much running as he did yesterday, we both need to rest and regain our strength._ She thought.

After a few more minutes of easy walking, Kaoru thought she heard a stream in the distance. Directing Blaze in the location of where the rushing water was coming from she failed to notice the dangers of straying off the path. Lucky for her, Blaze was thinking and came to a halt before swinging his head to touch her sword and gesture with his head towards the trees. Not understanding, Blaze knelt down so she could dismount before taking the sword gently in between his teeth and swinging his head back and forth to indicate cutting.

"Oh! What a smart horse you are Blaze!" Kaoru praised and began to cut a slight edge into the tree to mark their way. Neighing with satisfaction, Blaze indicated that Kaoru should ride again, but she gently declined and walked ahead in the direction she thought to be the stream.

After a few minutes of walking, both of them came across the stream and begun to drink. After moments of wonderful, pure water, Kaoru and Blaze both had their fill, but were not quite ready to move on. Blaze found a nice patch of fertile, green grass to eat, while Kaoru, after finding a solid, sharp stick, went to fish.

An hour later she came back to not only see Blaze sleeping beneath an apple tree she had failed to notice upon arriving, but that a stack of dry twigs and branches were placed neatly together in preparation for a fire.

_B-Blaze surely couldn't have done that… could he? S_he wondered to herself, eyeing her horse. With a shrug, she set to work with building the fire, easily finding two dry stones close to the makeshift camp, to start the spark.

After leaving her fish to roast over the fire, Kaoru looked around to see if anyone was in the area. Seeing that Blaze was content and peaceful, she relaxed and took off her clothing to take a bath in the stream.

Thirty to forty-five minutes later she returned, hair pulled high on top of her head and secured tightly against her scalp with many different clips that could not be seen unless peered at very closely for inspection.

Blaze, not knowing Kaoru had changed her hair, stirred at the sight of her and began to neigh and paw the ground in clear warning.

Seeing she didn't have much time before her horse charged her, she quickly dropped to the ground in an Indian position and opened her arms. Letting out a low, bird-like whistle, Blaze immediately calmed and trotted over to Kaoru, where she held her hand out for him to identify.

"Atta boy Blaze." She whispered as she put his big nose against her hand in a peaceful gesture. "You're so smart. It's no wonder dad didn't want to give you up. Being a rare breed sure brings in a lot of takers, but he was smart enough to know that family is more important than money, and you sure are family to me." She whispered. Both she and Blaze were born on the same day, though the horse was older by a few years, and more specifically, Blaze was at Kaoru's birth.

"You're named because when you were born, the barn was on fire. The only thing that could be seen was a blaze, your coat was said to have shone like the fires of Hell. You ride like the demons, and have the protectiveness of the devil himself." She praised. "However, your eye color has always made me question them. Father says it's because of the smoke that you went through during your birth, but I wonder…" she said referring to the uncanny color of purple, so dark it could possibly pass as a shade of black on the darker days when no sunlight was there to brighten the pigment.

"Alright boy, enough reminiscing. Time to eat, then head to the camp. We can't be too far now." Kaoru said as she removed the fish from over the fire and began to eat vigorously.

Within twenty minutes the two were back on the road again after a nice break, and soon were on the outskirts of the camp. Perched on top of the hill, Kaoru could see the entire camp. A screech from a *golden-back falcon brought Kaoru to her senses.

_What is a bird like _that_ doing this close to the camp?_ She wondered to herself. Shrugging, she casted one last glance over her shoulder, but the bird was already gone.

"Eh… Things are just gonna get stranger for us Blaze." Kaoru whispered and nudged Blaze to trot onward towards the entrance of the camp. "Here we go boy, the fun is just beginning…"

_Kaoru had no idea how accurate her words were. Maybe it was luck, maybe fate, but her life was just starting… _

* * *

_~Author's Note_

*Golden-Back Falcon: This is the fastest, smartest bird known to mankind. There is only three of its kind. One belongs to the King himself, the one mentioned that Kaoru saw, its owner is unknown to the reader at this time, and the third falcon's whereabouts are unknown. The female may only lay one egg per decade. Three out of four chances it is a male that is born, so the reproduction is both slow and difficult. The falcon can live up to ten centuries, but loses its shine as the years go on. If the female is to die before another egg can be hatched or laid, then a male is able to mate with another type of bird to reproduce. Later, the carrier bird that has the egg of the male falcon is able to lay an egg within a year, but dies after the egg has been laid, leaving the male to incubate it until hatching time. This process repeats itself until enough females are born to keep the species alive once more. However, the lower-level birds the falcon mates with, their offspring is now referred to as a "Silver-back falcon" being the subspecies.

Thanks everyone for reading chapter 3, I hope you enjoyed it. :) I do apologize for not updating this story in so long. I am just now restarting getting back onto ff so please bear with me for a bit. Please review so I know how I'm doing and I will hurry and get up the next chapter for all my wonderful readers. :D Happy reading!

* * *

~ReViEw RePlIeS fRoM cHaPtEr 2~

-minowoo: haha ur welcome for the dedication :) and yeah, the action you are asking for having to do with the camp shall be next chapter and the one after it for sure (ch. 4 and 5) thanks for the review and I hope you enjoyed this chappy as well!

- caseyedith: yeah im sorry for copying the movie in the last chappy. I went back and edited it quite a bit to make it still have the same guide lines, but different wording. Because of your review, I actually went and have an outline of the entire story, and even though it is following "Mulan", I have added my own twists to the story quite a bit. For example, THIS chapter lol :) hope you enjoyed it and thanks for your chapter 2 review. Hope u can take the time to tell me what u think about this chapter as well :)

- otaku-ka-ren: haha well, it's not exactly "soon" but here is ur wonderful update. Hope u like it and sorry for it not bing as fast as I was hoping it to be. To be honest, I pretty much lost interest in this story until my best friend came and said she actually loved it. It got me back in the mood, so here I am writing again :D hope it is to your satisfaction

- silver-firelizard: haha thanks! Hope you loved this chapter. Not exactly based off any part in "Mulan" but hey, it was just my version of the trip to the camp. Lol. Since in the movie it didn't even show any of her journey to the camp, I just thought it would be fun to show how strong Kaoru is and how much trust she has in Blaze :)

- the_stories_live_on: haha yes good guess. It is totally Mulan :) and yeah, I changed the dialogue a bit so it wasn't directly from the movie. I didn't like that because it didn't really sound like something her father would say so I had to put my own personal twist on it. Anyway, here's the update u asked for :) sry it took so long :P and yeah, Kaoru shall become even more stronger and learn how to kick butt without having to rely on Blaze a few chappy's down the road. As for Kenshin and company, most of them shall make their appearance next chapter, but Kenshin himself shall come in a bit later.

- browneyedgirl: awwww thanks! Glad you enjoyed it haha. Sorry for it taking so long. But I hope you liked this chapter because there is even more to come soon! :D thanks for the review!

- gabyhyatt (reply from ch.1): thank you, glad u enjoyed it so far. Hope you enjoy what's to come! :D

- edgar allen doku (reply from ch.1) : haha heyyyy Smudgy! Guess who! :) well anyway, now getting back into fanfiction, that lemon trade you had mentioned years ago, it still up? Because not in a while, but there WILL probably be a lemon somewhere along the lines of chapter 9 or so, so hang tight, and I hope you will read this and enjoy the story! :)

- sami.60: and now I am down to you iabay! Haha where to even begin…. Well ah!

1. haha yes I did like the first chapter better at first, but having the second chapter edited, I like it just as equally :D especially because I have rewrote is as u asked :)

2. haha, well HERE is ur vry own chapter, just like u asked so NO complaining and I totallyyyyyy expect a review from you (now plz know that _**I**_kid with ya!—review only if you want me to still love u) -.^

3. thanks, that is quite boring but hell, I'll take it ovr a "boo, you suck!" any day :)

4. Happy reading!


	4. Three New Friends

Anddddddd here is the next chapter for my awesome readers! The story is starting to pick up! I'm so excited! :D I will have to say that 1. Thank you everyone who has stuck with me so far! It really means a lot to me! 2. Sorry, but I think this will be the last update for a while. I have finals next week, but after that is Christmas break! So I promise to try and have the next chapter up before Christmas ok? :) Alrighty then! ENJOY!

~*Loving Sacrifice*~

- Chapter 4 – Three New Friends –

* * *

As Kaoru entered the under hangings of the camp, she looked around to see if she could find the place to register herself. As if her thoughts were magic, someone called out to her.

"Hey, boy. Where do ya think you're goin'?" the man asked. The guy was tall with some sort of bone hanging out of his mouth. He had a red bandana slung around his forehead in a sweatband like manor. The guy's hair was standing upwards and sloshed around on all directions of his head. His question wasn't cocky, but simply enquiring. He didn't look intimidating, but Kaoru was cautious all the same.

"I… I am just looking to find where the new recruits check in." Kaoru stammered.

"Hmm, I see. Okay, you turn around and take a left and go pass the long series of tents. Once you have cleared that, you are to take a right past the larger tent that you come across and the tent just past it is the captain's tent. He's the one who you'll wanna check in with. However, might I make a suggestion?"

Kaoru mutely nodded.

"You should unpack your bags and find a tent to settle into. Check in with the captain tomorrow. It is already a good ways past noon. The cook might have some food for you but you better hurry. Find yourself a partner and bunk down for the night. You look like you encountered some trouble on your way here and you and your horse both look exhausted."

"Well thank you for your words of advice…um…"

"Sagara, Sanosuke-but please, just call me Sano." He said with a smile.

"Ah, of course Sano. Thank you for your help. It was much appreciated." Kaoru said. "Shall I be seeing you any time soon?"

"Possibly, I often work with Kenshin in training those in hand-to-hand combat, whereas Kenshin does sword fighting."

"Kenshin?" Kaoru titled her head in question

"Ah, that's the captain. He's my half-brother. Here's a tip. When you meet him, just remember that his bark is worse than his bite… as long as you don't anger him." Sano said with a smile on his face, yet sounding serious at the same time.

Kaoru nodded and nudged her foot into Blaze's flank to get him to move. "Thanks for everything."

Sano nodded and then called out, "Hey, what's your name kid?"

That brought Kaoru up short. "I'm K…Ru."

"Kru?" Sano said in a funny tone, trying to pronounce the name.

Kaoru pretended to laugh. "No, drop the 'K'. It's Ru. Nice to meet you." She said and without another word, made Blaze trot away before any more questions could be asked.

"What a strange kid… wonder what family he is from…" Sano thought out loud. _Oh well. H_e thought with a shrug. _I'll just ask Kenshin later I guess._

* * *

"Phew, that was close, wasn't it boy?" Kaoru asked the horse as they trotted away towards the resting grounds. "Okay, I guess we can take Sano's advice and find us a place to hunker down for the night." With a neigh of agreement, Blaze and Kaoru walked onwards, seeing the grounds in the distance.

_NEIGH!_ Blaze whinnied and went up on his two back hooves. "Woah boy!" Kaoru yelled and held on for dear life, in fear of falling and having Blaze accidently trample over her.

"AH!" A young voice screamed in reply to the rearing horse. "I'm sorry! Easy boy, easy." The boy called out to Blaze.

After a moment of heart-pounding terror of possibly being thrown off, Kaoru gained her wits back and settled Blaze. Nostrils flaring, Blaze stared fiercely into the young boy's eyes.

"I… I…" he stammered and then composed of himself and began again. "I'm sorry for spooking your horse. I wasn't looking and ran right in front of him. Are you alright sir?" the child asked.

"Y-Yes, just a bit shaken up, that's all. No need to apologize. It was merely an accident." Kaoru said gently, surprising the boy, while also taking a good look at him. He stood at possibly five foot one, with short, spiky dark black hair that strongly defied gravity. Kaoru was sorely tempted to reach out and pat it down, but barely withheld herself from doing so.

"You're new around here aren't ya?" he asked, making it sound more of a statement than question, drawing her out of her musing.

Kaoru smiled gently, trying to recover from her staring. "Well… yes. How did you know?"

"Most men around here aren't that forgiving as you are. Had it been almost any other, I would have gotten at least ten horse-tail whippings along my back for doing what I just did."

"Oh, that's awful." Kaoru cried in horror of such an idea.

"No, it's just the way things are done around here. I'm used to it, and actually, ten whippings aren't that bad. It's a pretty light punishment compared to most things around here."

"H-How old are you?" Kaoru questioned, not sure she really wanted to hear the answer.

"Fifteen, soon to be sixteen in a week." He said proudly, all the while Kaoru's heart was breaking for the child. _To have to fight a war at such a young age…_ she thought to herself, not hearing what the boy was saying.

"I'm sorry, what?"

The boy playfully rolled his eyes. "You're kinda slow, aren't ya? I said do you want to stay with me in my tent. I have a place not far from the training grounds. I had to fight quite a lot of people for the area too. Think of it as my apology to you, unless you already have another place you were planning on staying." He said looking at the ground.

Kaoru was quick to jump his offer. "Oh, no I don't have a place. I'd love to stay with you. Thanks! I'm… Ru by the way. What's your name?"

"I'm Myojin, Yahiko, at your service!" he said proudly.

Kaoru smiled. "Well, nice to meet you Yahiko. Why don't you lead the way to your tent?" Kaoru suggested.

"Alright." He easily agreed and took the reins from Kaoru to lead Blaze onward.

* * *

After five minutes of walking, they arrived at their destination. "Okay Ru, over there," he said pointing with his finger, "Is the horses' station where your black beauty can stay, along with my horse, Kenshin's, and Soujiro's."

"Excuse me. Did you just say Kenshin, as in the captain? And who else did you name?"

Yahiko laughed at Kaoru's expression. "Chill bro. Kenshin is my cousin and the other was Soujiro. Seta Soujiro, he's my half-brother. He is about a year and a half older than I am, but he is one of Kenshin's apprentices. The empty stall next to Kenshin's mare is where you can keep your horse."

Kaoru's head was spinning with new information. "He _what_? Kenshin is family? So, that means that you're related to Sano also, correct?"

"You met the rooster head?" he laughed, "Yeah, that's right. Sano is also one of my cousins. Around here, most of the time, we forget about being _half_ anything. We are so close of a family; it's as if we are all fully related to each other."

"What about then stall next to your half brother's horse?"

"Oh… that's where Soujiro's twin brother, Yutaro, would keep his horse if he were here. He's out on some mission, so I don't know when he'll reappear."

Kaoru smiled sadly, missing her own family.

"But don't worry," Yahiko continued, missing the look of sadness that passed through Kaoru's eyes. "You should fit right in." he said. "Now make yourself at home, and sorry in advance for the mess. I wasn't expecting company. I am told to be a loud sleeper, so no one wanted to share a tent with me." He explained.

Kaoru simply smiled and jumped off of Blaze. After taking off his saddle and bringing it inside the tent to put on her side, she walked back out to see her horse standing exactly where he was when she left. Yahiko comically was pulling on the reins, but Blaze wouldn't budge. _Tsking_ to herself, Blaze's ear swiveled towards her and a knowing twinkle appeared in the horse's eyes. Kaoru shook her head, knowing what was about to happen.

Yahiko, having no warning about Blaze's advances, was unprepared for the sudden yank forwards as Blaze reared up on his hind legs, before swiftly landing on all fours and rushing towards him. Letting out a yelp in fear, as well as surprise, Yahiko stumbled backwards and fell butt first into the mud behind him. Thoroughly covered in slime and filth, Yahiko sat there in a daze while Blaze danced out of his reach, neighing with mirth.

"Come now Blaze, that wasn't very nice." Kaoru scolded and crossed her arms, not knowing that the horse had planned to take it _that_ far. With a snort of annoyance at having his fun ceased, he gently walked over to Yahiko and grabbed him by the back of the shirt, gently pulling upwards to lift him out. Afterwards, he put his nose in the palm of his hand in an "I'm sorry" gesture and obediently trotted inside the horse stall, right next to a stunning white mare. The mare had no blemishes and was a pure white color, with sky blue eyes to match. Eyes that didn't even take a glance at Blaze. Her body was built to endure long runs through almost any terrain. Casting a glance towards Blaze she shook her head as if to rid herself of any flies and turned more away from him, looking at the other mare to her other side.

"That there is Silk. She's Kenshin's horse." Yahiko said, pointing. "The one to her right is Amber, that's my brother's horse. Both are *Speed-Racers, but only Silk is purebred. Amber, like most of us in our family, is her half-sister. They had the same mother, but the sire was a different horse."

"They are both beautiful horses, and I'm starting to think Blaze agrees with me." She said giggling at her horse who had not taken his eyes off Silk.

"Well, your stallion certainly is a beauty himself." A stray voice said, as a young boy came around the corner. He was tall and skinny with short brown hair. His bangs settled across his eyes, giving him an innocent look. Despite his size, he held himself with dignity, but not in an overconfident way. Kaoru dully noted that he eyes had the same shape and color as Yahiko, as well as the same gesture, such as the way they moved back and forth as if someone was to ambush him any second. His face held a smile that made Kaoru feel at ease being in the camp.

"Soujiro, this is Ru. He's my new roommate. Ru, this is my older brother, Soujiro. Amber belongs to him." Yahiko introduced. Kaoru bowed slightly in greeting and Soujiro bowed back in reply.

"A pleasure to meet you Ru, please feel right at home here. You must be very special to wish to stay in a tent with my brother. He can be quite troublesome, yet he can always keep you on your toes." Soujiro joked.

Kaoru laughed, immediately liking the boy. "Well Ru, it looks like you just arrived here from your journey. Why don't we head off to the kitchen and see if we can't find something to eat?" Soujiro suggested.

"Yes, lets!" Yahiko enthusiastically agreed.

Kaoru's stomach made itself known that she agreed by grumbling quite loudly, causing her to softly blush in embarrassment.

"Looks like Ru's stomach is posing no argument either." Yahiko said as he hurried off towards the kitchen.

"Pay him no mind when it comes to food. One mention of the word and that's all he will think about until he has gotten his fill. But let's hurry; knowing him he might eat it all and if we get there fast enough, we can beat the crowds. I'm sure Tae and Megumi wouldn't mind giving us some food before it's actually meal time." Soujiro said and gestured for Kaoru to go first.

* * *

**~At the kitchen**

"Tae, please?" Pleading could be heard. The smells of a nicely cooked dinner wafted through the air, making Kaoru's mouth water. After only eating a single fish for that whole day, she was famished.

"Yahiko! Just because you are Kenshin's cousin does not mean that you-" she pulled up short as she saw Soujiro appear. Giving a sigh she playfully glared at the spiky haired boy.

"Alright, I'll feed you early, but only because you brought your brother along. And… oh, hello., looks like Soujiro has a friend with him as well. Tell me, what is your name?" Tae asked directing her questioning gaze toward Kaoru in a sweet, motherly manor.

"Hello ma'am, I'm Ru." Kaoru said and bowed.

"Well nice to meet you Ru, I'm Tae. I don't know what these two boys' have told you, but I'm their nanny. Somewhere around here is Megumi, she is Yahiko's older sister as well as Sano's fiancé." She said as she gave a small bow back.

"Ah, now what about me and the rooster head did I just hear?" a melodic voice chimed.

"Well hello Megumi. You're just in time to meet the boy's new friend, Ru."

The women named Megumi turned to stare at Kaoru in a judgmental way.

"Well, nice to meet you Ru." She finally said in reply, bowing slightly. A knowing gleam entered her eyes as she scanned over Kaoru's frame.

Kaoru bowed back gently and said nothing, worrying about the older women's silence. _She couldn't possibly know could she?_ She thought.

"Well… we really must be going now. Wouldn't want to be caught now, would we?" Yahiko said, breaking the ice and snapping everyone out of the trance they were in.

"Ah yes." Kaoru hastily agreed, "I need to be checking up on Blaze. Good bye ladies, nice to meet you both." Kaoru said and turned with the two boys and headed back to camp, the food bowls still in all three of their hands.

"That boy reminded me of a raccoon…" Kaoru heard Megumi whisper.

"Fox." Kaoru hissed over her shoulder in reply to the snide comment.

* * *

**~Back at their tent**

Two hours later, Kaoru yawned and looked around the tent that she was under. It was actually a pretty big area for just one person, but with two it seemed just right. Her side of the tent had a clean futon ready for her usage as well as a sleeping bag, pillow, and lamp (with matches to start it if needed during the night). Yahiko, true to his word, had his side full of junk. His floor could hardly be seen with all the clothes thrown everywhere.

It was already around nine and the sun had set about an hour before. Quietly striking a match, she lit her lamp and headed over to the stables where Blaze was held. As she approached, she saw a figure retreat into the shadows after petting Silk. Running to see if she could catch up with the person, Kaoru spun around the corner to where the figure disappeared but he was gone.

Walking back to Blaze, she saw that he was perfectly calm and gave a soft _neigh_ in welcome as he saw her approach. Petting his nose gently she closed her eyes and thought of home. She began to think of her parents and what they were doing now. Would they be looking for her? Or would they have known what had happened and-

"Ru, is that you?" a voice called out, causing Kaoru to jump in surprise.

"Yeah, just saying good night to Blaze." Kaoru explained, seeing Soujiro appear.

"Ah, ok. I just saw you walk out here and wanted to make sure you were okay." He said kindly, his signature smile never leaving his face.

"Thanks Sou." Kaoru said and then froze. She didn't mean to call him that. The nickname accidently slipping from her lips.

To her surprise, Soujiro began to laugh lightly and wave his hand back and forth in a calming gesture.

"It's alright, you can call me that. The last time I heard anyone call me that was when Yahiko and I were five. It was before he could fully pronounce my name. I always called him Ya-Ya." He said and he and Kaoru shared a small laugh at that.

"I'll have to remember that some time, it might come in handy." Kaoru said.

Soujiro nodded and turned to head back to his tent, which was the one directly next to hers. "Call if you need anything Ru." He said.

A question popped into Kaoru's head. "Hey Sou, right before you came out, I saw someone with Silk. Do you know who it could be?" she asked.

Soujiro looked thoughtful. "Any details on the person?"

"Maybe a little on the short side, with pretty long hair." She described, thinking back, "I couldn't really tell but it didn't look black or brown, but maybe a lighter shade." She said referring to hair color.

"Red maybe?" Soujiro offered.

"Possibly…" Kaoru answered.

"Did this person happen to have anything on them that might have caught your attention? A sword or something perhaps?"

"I saw something reflect the light of my lantern when I was looking. It could have been a sword, but I don't know." Kaoru admitted.

Soujiro smiled and laughed lightly. "I believe you got a glimpse of your captain, Kenshin. He normally also visits his horse before retiring. Though I will say, he's a bit early tonight. Maybe it's because registration is almost over. Have you already registered?"

Kaoru shook her head no.

"Well then, I'll have Yahiko take you after breakfast. I have some things I must attend to tomorrow, otherwise I would take you myself."

"Thanks Sou." Kaoru said, and with a final nod, Soujiro disappeared inside his tent.

"Time for rest now Blaze. We have another very long day ahead of us." Kaoru whispered as she gave the horse a kiss on the nose and headed for her own tent to go to sleep.

* * *

Kaoru awoke to the sound of a loud, shrill bird's call. Groaning with exhaustion, she rolled over on her futon to catch a few more _Zzz's_ before she had to meet the captain and register herself. Yahiko, still snoring over on his side of the tent, did little other than roll over and mumble unintellectual words. Kaoru smiled to herself but decided to let the teenager sleep a bit more.

* * *

An hour later after resting in a light doze, Blaze began to get restless. Calling out to Kaoru in the certain whinehe used only for calling her, she awoke and quickly changed before anyone could see her. After quickly redoing her breast bindings, she shrugged her shirt on and trotted outside.

Taking a deep breath of fresh air, she smiled and walked gracefully over to where Blaze was waiting. Letting out an impatient noise of frustration, Kaoru laughed and took him out of his stall. Jumping on him to ride bareback, she gave him a nudge with her foot and he walked towards the direction of where breakfast was being held.

After walking around the camp a bit, Kaoru saw Soujiro in the distance. Soujiro also saw her and called out. "Hey Ru, over here!" he said with a smile upon his face.

Blaze advanced towards Soujiro and as they were close, Kaoru gracefully slid off his back and landed in a small puddle of mud. Scowling and thoroughly disgusted, she pulled herself up and wiped away all the filth she could. Soujiro laughed gently and ran to help, Tae right behind him with a towel in hand. After getting Kaoru cleaned off, the three of them, and the horse, walked towards the dining area.

The dining area where she stopped was crawling with men. Kaoru took a seat on one of the wooden tables and looked around from where she sat.

Outside of the large tent that she was closet to was a line of over two hundred men, waiting impatiently for their breakfast. Behind the line was a large area of healthy, green grass where many of the horses were standing, grazing. Blaze looked at Kaoru before trotting over to a small patch of unoccupied grass and began to eat his fill.

The men who already had their bowl of slop for breakfast were sitting in some of the grass, chatting and eating happily. Throughout the crowds Kaoru easily spotted Sano, for the red of his headband really stood out in contrast with the crowds, directing everyone to stay in line and wait their turn for the food without making a fight.

Looking more around, Kaoru saw some of the men with swords fastened to their waist. Gasping, Kaoru hastily tried to remember where she left her father's sword. Coming to the decision that it was still back in the tent she relaxed but then frowned at the line, wondering if she had to go wait in the line to get her food.

Yahiko, who had appeared from inside the tent as Kaoru was observing her surroundings, set a plate of food before her. Kaoru jumped at the sudden _clank_ as the dish came in contact with the table. "Don't scare me like that you little brat." Kaoru hissed before she realized what she had said.

Yahiko, however, was not one to miss a beat, quickly snapped back. "Well it isn't my fault you're unobservant. I'd bet you wouldn't last more than five seconds in the ring with Kenshin, wimp!"

"W-Wimp? I'm stronger than you are brat!"

"Nu uh! I could take you down in ten seconds flat and then run circles around you."

"No you couldn't you little brat!"

"Yeah I could!"

"Wimp!"

"Brat!"

"…Ugly!"

That brought Kaoru up short. No one had called her "ugly" before, being male or female.

"HA, no reply? I win!" Yahiko smirked. Kaoru took her fork and scooped some of the slop onto her eating utensil, that was supposed to be oatmeal, and flung it at Yahiko, hitting him straight between the eyes.

"Ugh! YUCK!" he hollered as he hurried to wipe the grime off his face.

"Look who's ugly now." Kaoru sneered.

"Oh, you-"

"ENOUGH!" a male voice boomed behind Kaoru.

Sitting straight up, Kaoru gulped as she saw Yahiko's eyes get wide.

"Busted…" she heard him mumble under his breath.

Feeling an intimidating presence behind her, Kaoru slowly turned around and froze as she stared into deep, golden eyes that threatened to consume her very soul…

* * *

**~Author's Note**

Ah, there you guys go. The first glimpse of Kenshin for ya! No need to thank me. :) Anyway, the next chapter brings Kenshin fully out of the shadows and into the open. R&R!

**_~ReViEw RePlIeS fRoM cHaPtEr 3~_**

-**usigh**: THANKS for all three reviews . I have gone back and edited the first chapter. And the hair clip was explained in it, but will have much more of a significance later on in the story.

-**lossehelin (ch.1)**: oh boy, where to even start? xD

*ok, well first off, lol thanks for the "lady" comment haha not quite sure, seeing that I'm only 17, if it's a compliment or not but hell, I'll take it. :) As for your reviews, no. I would never get mad at some negative comment. In fact, that's just what makes a person a better writer. The more negative feedback I get the more I know what I have to work on and can make my writing all the better.

*I have strongly taken into account what you have said about my storyline. I will reassure you that this plot that I have planned out may follow Mulan, but it does have a flare of its own, such as chapter 3 and this one. I'm having slight difficulty making my characters "special" but I'll do my best!

*Kaoru's father being sick is something that will be explained a bit later on in the story. There is a whole chapter dedicated to him, and explains his sickness, why he is so into being loyal and fighting for his country, etc. As for a husband for Kaoru… hm, that's a good idea. I will have to think on that one.

*I will try and work on making a better description of things but as you can tell, dialogue is my main accomplishment. Setting is something, as a writer, that I will need to really focus on in the future. Sorry for the feeling of things being rushed. I'm trying to slow everything down now. Haha, making suspense into the story? Hm, not a bad idea. If people want to bite my head off because I left them hanging, I'll know who to thank (that's a joke btw).—I'm a pretty chilled person when it comes to reviews. I'm just happy that someone is taking their time to do so. It really does mean a lot to me, so whatever you have to say, please do. I won't get mad (unless it is someone just being outright rude. That's unnecessary. But negative feedback is totally acceptable and very helpful for me to improve myself.)

*As for Tomoe, I have added a little detail in the first chapter that has a little more interaction. I have my entire story in an outline so I have a place where it will explain everything about Tomoe and her brother, Enishi.

*Hmm, okay. One other thing I have had trouble with was the "tenses". I will have to work on that, but I'll try and keep that in mind while I'm writing.

**(ch.2):**

*Okay, well I wrote the first two chapters about a year ago literately right after I had watched the movie, so that is why the story was so close to the actual movie. However, now that a year has passed, I have gone back and taken the story on a whole different road. I hope that you like the "twist" that I will spin on this story. I actually went and made the place where they live called _Pacem_. This is so I can make my own culture without having to have Kaoru or anyone else follows the customs of the Japanese. Now as for Tim, I believe that he will reappear in the story a bit later on.

*Um, as for the flow of the story, I'm trying to piece them together as best as I can. If you have any specifics as to what I might be missing to help it flow even better, by all means, please do share. If you have an example that I could see, that would help also.

*Thanks, glad you liked it. This was the starting point of where the story truly becomes my own and not of the movie completely.

**(ch.3):**

*I'm glad you liked this chapter. And actually, as I said earlier in the reply, but I went back and redid chapter 1. When I have the time, I will go and redo chapter 2 as well. However, I have finals coming up so I don't think I'll be able to find the time to retype the second chapter until after the tests. Thanks for the suggestion though, and because of it, I dedicated the first chapter to you. :)

*Blaze will take a step back in the next chapters. He was more of a filler until I could truly build up Kaoru's character. The sakabatou will be explained in the chapter where I explain about Kaoru's father getting ill, or a bit later in the story. I have not really given much thought to the sword as much as I have with Kaoru's father's illness. The illness really will have a huge impact on the story. Now, you pose a good point, but Kaoru stabbed the wolf in the heart, which is why it killed it. (If I said she slashed it through the heart, then I will go back and change that because that would be incorrect and a careless mistake on my part.) Anyway, thank you for your three reviews. They provided me with some great insight and I greatly appreciated it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and patiently await your next review. :D

-**sweetyfanfic:**Lol, yeah I love Mulan too! :D Yes, the story will really take a turn in the next few chapters. Really, the only part my story will base itself off of from the movie is the threat of invasion- and later the actual invasion. The plot will have a twist of its own and I hope you enjoy it!

-**Silver-FireLizard:** haha niceeee! No I have not actually seen the Chinese version, only the Disney version. Thanks for the review and I hope you liked this chapter!

-**sami.60:** haha yes, your very own chapter.

*… ok so you know my spelling is SO not perfect. You should totally be my beta for the story, BUT you don't even really have time to write your own so I guess I can't really ask you to beta huh?

*Yeah, the falcon will come in handy a bit later in the story, just wait and see…. Camelot? I don't even know that story, so no I'm not putting it in my story.

*Oh hush, lol you shall see the size a bit later around chapter 9 I think.

*Haha, yeah I guess I can make Blaze Mushu, lol I wasn't quite sure what I am planning to do yet for that.

*and here is your next chapter :) that wasn't too long. Hell, you're making _me_ wait longer for your story than I am making you wait for mine. xD

-**Miriel-F:** Aw thanks! *blushes*

*I have edited the first chapter (will edit the second one later when I have time) and it should not be exactly like the movie anymore. That was my mistake that I had made last year, not really knowing what I was doing, unlike I do now.

*I have changed the setting of the story so it is held neither in Japan or China but on the outskirts of Japan in a place called _Pacem_. And no, I didn't think you were being harsh at all. In fact, I'm grateful for your review because it helps me improve my own story.

*Thanks, glad you liked the third chappy, and I hope you liked this one just as much if not more. :)


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